Book Response #3; Sell Out

                             

      

      I recently started a new book called 'Sell Out' by Ebony Joy Wilkens. The book starts out describing Natasha, "a dark skinned and big boned" freshman girl that lived in a majorly white community. Her family tries to shape themselves to the society around them and fit in with the white community by buying the newest Michael Kors purse and enrolling their daughter in ballet. Natasha's grandmother, Tilly, comes to visit and watch Natasha's last ballet recital. Tilly has the idea that African Americans and White people are two completely different species. She believes Natasha shouldn't be in ballet and living in a preppy town that 'didn't have enough jerk chicken.' This led me to the thought that the only real racist so far is Tilly herself. Natasha says "I was different from the other dancers... the girls never cared. They were my friends."

This picture shows segregation protests in the 

50s

      Natasha goes to Harlem with her grandmother and learns more about her self and her history as an African American. The title of the book now makes sense. "Sell Out", which to me means trying to be someone you are not. Tilly wants Natasha to 'act like an African American' instead of the white suburb neighbors she has. Which is like a large scale of segregation and seems to make White and Black people to different categories which I think is a completely stereotypical statement, no matter what color someone is, they should be able to act however they want.

The colored picture shows protest after the Ferguson shooting in 2014

These pictures represent that even after 60 years, there are still problems with the battle of racism. But could it also root from the African Americans themselves?